Greece Day 6
We woke up this morning giddy with excitement. Today was the day we would go out on the catamaran for the day.
DH and I headed to the hotel restaurant for breakfast, then changed into our boating clothes. Then it was time to hike up to the street with the rest of the fam to get on the van that would bring us to the boat.
The drive was long, winding, and beautiful. We eventually arrived at a marina and boarded our boat for the day. There were 6 other passengers on the boat along with the captain and 2 crew members. This boat was GORGEOUS! I seriously felt like a movie star on the boat!
The captain gave us the lowdown on the rules of the boat and we were off! DH, SIL, and I sat in the front of the boat for quite a while and looked at the beautiful coast line and rock formations of Santorini. The rest of the passengers were in the back of the boat having drinks and chatting.
Red beach...only accessible boat boat/water taxi!
Super cool rocks
More rocks
There are stories about earthquakes and volcanoes that have formed these rocks, but I can't remember the exact stories, so I won't try to make them up!
Our view
After cruising around for an hour or so, we arrived at some hot springs. There is an active volcano under the water near Santorini. The water above the volcano is very warm and it is a brownish-red color. Our captain pulled up to an area where we could swim and we jumped in the water. He told us that we had about 15 minutes to swim before huge tourist boats invade the place. And he wasn't kidding. After we had been swimming toward the shallow part of the springs for about 10 minutes, 2 HUGE boats pulled up with hundreds of people on them. Maybe I just have a vivid imagination, but looking back at the hordes of people jumping off of those boats into the water reminded me of a horror movie! It looked like they were chasing us! So creepy!
You can somewhat see the people in the water in this pic. That's DH standing on the boat, watching for his mom, bro, and sis. And hoping they didn't get lost in the masses!
We swam for a while in the warm water and then made it back to the safety of our boat.
We continued cruising around the Aegean Sea for about an hour. Then it was time for lunch. The captain docked the boat and told us we could swim for a while until lunch was ready. Let me tell you, the water we were swimming in was the clearest I have EVER seen. It was amazing. And the water is SO unfathomably deep, it was almost disorienting to look down. The boat had some snorkel gear, so we snorkeled for a bit.
Then it was time for lunch. They prepared some traditional Greek food and then grilled some delicious chicken, pork, and steak. Oh, and copious amounts of wine! This lunch was one of the best meals of the trip. It was awesome because the table was large enough for everyone to sit and talk like a family. It was great because we really got to know all the other passengers, who were so much fun. Strangely, every passenger was American!
After lunch, it was time for another swim and then we began the trek back to the marina. The seas were a little rough on the way back, which was fun!
DH and me lying on the net in the front of the boat
I actually fell asleep for a little while as we lay there. What a life...napping on a boat in the beautiful blue sea.
Rough seas
5 or 6 hours after we had departed, we returned to the marina. I was SO sad that our boating was done. That was one of the best experiences of my life.
Upon returning to our hotel, we all showered and got ready for dinner.
Our
travel agent had arranged a sunset dinner at a restaurant in the town of Fira. A car came and picked us up, then took us to the restaurant. As we walked toward the restaurant, we saw that a wedding was just finishing and all the people were waiting outside for the bride and groom. What a wonderful place for a wedding.
Dinner was AMAZING. The restaurant was perched on a cliff with a perfect view of the sunset. At some point during dinner, 2 men played some traditional Greek music for the diners.
The view before sunset
The beginning of sunset
Our musicians
Sunset!
Oh, look! The bride and groom! On donkeys!
How that woman got on that donkey in her wedding dress I will never know. I felt a little strange taking their picture. But I figured it was okay because when DH and I got married in Yosemite National Park, we had our picture taken by so many strangers, I felt like they were the paparazzi! Our photographer told us that it's considered good luck for a Japanese person to be photographed with an American bride, so we shouldn't be surprised if there were a lot of people posing for pics with us in the background. It was kinda funny! I tried to smile for their pics when I noticed they were taking them.
Okay, back to dinner...here was my dinner. It was fish and it was DEEEELICIOUS!
A night shot of our view.
After dinner, we walked around the town a little bit before finding a taxi to return us to our hotel. While walking, we happened upon a traditional Greek dance show going on in the town square. We stopped and watched for quite a while. It was fantastic.
Then it was time for bed. This was our best day yet. I was so sad it was over!
, but I trust you when you say that it was more impressive than the picture shows.
DH swears that they also went to Greece and had a similar experience, but I contend it was just Italy.
Very cool!
Mine too!
I almost spit out my water when I read that!!! Tooo funny! 
